Curated category
Chemistry
- Organic chemistryCarbon atoms form the structural backbone of every living thing on Earth. This single element creates compounds with four valence electrons that bond in…
- ChemistryA single atom of carbon contains six protons in its nucleus. This dense core is surrounded by a cloud of electrons that occupies space roughly 10,000 times…
- AlloyA mixture of chemical elements forms an alloy, and in most cases at least one element is metallic. This definition distinguishes alloys from pure metals that…
- Chemical reactionIn 1667, Johann Joachim Becher proposed the phlogiston theory. This idea claimed a fire-like element called phlogiston existed inside combustible bodies.
- Chemical elementAn oxygen atom contains exactly eight protons in its nucleus. This count defines the element as oxygen, regardless of how many neutrons surround those…
- AtomThe word atom comes from the ancient Greek term atomos, meaning uncuttable. Ancient philosophers like Leucippus and his student Democritus proposed that all…
- MoleculeThe word molecule derives from the Latin moles, meaning small unit of mass. It entered French in 1678 as a diminutive form of the Neo-Latin term for mass or…
- Chemical compoundA chemical compound is a substance composed of many identical molecules containing atoms from more than one chemical element.